Stock Dove 01

Stock Dove 02

Stock dove    Columba oenas

The original pigeon, now quite scarce.   Forest of Dean, march 2010.

Turtle Dove 02

Turtle Dove 04 crop

Turtle dove    Streptopelia turtur

I'm not fond of pigeons but this bird I do like, an ancient emblem of devotion with a soporific purr.  A widespread bird of woodland, farmland and urban gardens but it can be elusive, often staying high in tree tops.  Mass slaughter in Malta could be a major reason for their decline in recent years (they are migrants), but farming intensification also plays a big part.

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